UNIT

K J jj W h a t...? W h ic h ...? H o w ...?

W h a t + noun (W hat c o lo u r ... ? / W h a t k in d ... ? ctc.)

• W h a t c o lo u r is your car? • W h a t c o lo u r are your eyes?
• W h a t size is this shirt? • W h a t m ak e is your TV set?
• W h a t tim e is it? • W h a t day is it today?
• W h a t k in d of job do you want? (or W h a t ty p e of job ... ? / W h a t s o rt of job ..?)
W h a t without a noun:
• W h a t’s your favourite colour? W h a t do you want to do this evening?

B W h ich + noun (things or people):

• W h ich tra in did you catch the 9.50 or the 10.30?
• W h ic h d o c to r did you see - Doctor Ellis, Doctor Gray or Doctor Hill?
We use w h ic h without a noun for things, not people:
• W h ich is bigger —Canada or Australia?
We use w h o for people (without a noun):
• W h o is taller - Bill or Gerry? (not ‘Which is taller?’)

W h a t or w hich?
We use w h ic h when we are thinking about a small number o f possibilities (perhaps 2, 3 or 4):
• We can go this way or that way.
W h ich w ay shall we go?
• There are four umbrellas here.
W h ich is yours?
W h a t is more general:
W H I C H ?
• W h a t is the capital o f Argentina?
• W h a t s o rt o f music do you like?
Compare:
• W h a t c o lo u r are his eyes? (not ‘Which colour?’)
W h ich c o lo u r do you prefer, p in k o r yellow?
• W h a t is the longest river in the world?
W h ich is the longest river - th e M ississippi, th e A m a z o n o r th e Nile?

D H ow ... ?
• ‘H o w was the party last night?’ ‘It was great.’
• ‘H o w do you usually so to work?’ ‘By bus.’
You can use h o w + adjective/adverb (how tall / h o w o ld / h o w o fte n etc.):
tall are you?’ ‘I’m 1 metre 70.’
b ig is the house?’ ‘Not very big.’
old is your mother?’ ‘She’s 45.’
‘H o w < far is it from here to the airport?’ ‘Five kilometres.’
o fte n do you use your car?’ ‘Every day.’
lo n g have they been married?’ ‘Ten years.’
m u c h was the meal?’ ‘Twenty pounds.’

[1 0 0 ] questions = units 43-45 H o w l o n g d o e s it ta k e . . . ? = > \ UNIT 47 | w h i c h o n e (s) => | UNIT 74

 U N IT

EXERCISES 46
46.1 Write questions with what.

I’ve got a new TV set. (make?) is.it?

I want a job. (kind?) Wbflt kmfll o f job <^ yow w ^ t ?
I’ve got a new sweater. (colour?) W h a t.................................................................
I got up early this morning. (time?) .............................................................. get up?
I like music. (type?) ............................................................................
I want to buy a car. (kind?) ............................................................................

46.2 Complete the questions. Use W hich... ?

46.3 Put in what/which/who.

1 is that man’s name?
2 WHtcH way shall we go? Left or right?
3 You can have tea or coffee................. do
you prefer?
4 ‘.............. day is it today?’ ‘Friday.’
5 This is a nice house................. room is
yours?
6 is your favourite sport?
7 is more expensive, meat or fish?
8 is older, Ann or George?
9 kind o f camera have you got?
10 A: Mary has got three cameras.
B: .............. camera does she use most?
11 nationality are you?

46.4 Complete the questions with How + adjective or adverb (high/long etc.).

f' ' >

1 ..Wow.VitgH is M ount Everest? Nearly 9000 metres.
2 .......................... is it to the station? It’s about two kilometres from here.
3 .......................... is Helen? She’s 26.
4 .......................... do the buses run? Every ten minutes.
5 .......................... is the water in the pool? Two metres.
6 ..........................have vou lived here? Nearly three years.
V . ------------ L J
4 6 .5 Write questions with H ow ... ?
1 Are you 1 metre 70? 1.75? 1.80? How M l a re you ?
2 Is this box one kilogram? Two? Three? ...................................
3 Are you 20 years old? 22? 25? ...................................
4 Did you spend £10? £15? £20? ...................................
5 Do you watch TV every day? Once a week? Never?

6 Is it 1000 miles from Paris to Moscow? 1500? 2000?

[101|
 UNIT

47 How long does it take ... ?

How long d oes it take 7

by plane
two hours by train from ... to ...
I t takes ten minutes by car
a long time

How long does it take by plane

from London to Madrid?
It takes two hours.

• How long d o es it tak e by train from London to Manchester?

• It takes two hours by train from London to Manchester.
• How long d o es it take by car from your house to the station?
® It takes ten minutes by car from my house to the station.

B
does (you)
How long d id it take (Ann) to ... ?
will (them)

takes (me) a week

It to o k (Ann) a long time to ...
w ill take (them) three hours
I started reading the book on Monday.
1 finished it on Wednesday evening.
It to o k m e three days to rea d it.

How long does it tak e to fly from London to Madrid?

I t takes a long time to le a rn a language.
I t d o e s n ’t tak e long to c o o k an omelette.
I t takes m e 20 minutes to g e t to work.
‘I came by train.’ ‘Did you? How long d id it tak e (to get here)?’
It to o k T o m an hour to d o his shopping.
D id it tak e you a long time to find a job?
How long w ill it take m e to learn to drive?
I t will tak e us an hour to c o o k the dinner.

[1 0 2 1
 U N IT

EXERCISES 47
47.1 Look at the pictures and write questions with How long ...?

2
3
4

47.2 How long does it take to do these things? W rite full sentences.
1 fly from your city/country to London
Jt..takes..two Hours to r f U j . .
2 fly from your city/country to New York

3 study to he a doctor in your country

4 walk from your home to the nearest shop

5 get from your home to the nearest airport

47.3 Write questions with How long did it ta k e ... ?

1 (She found a place to live.)
2 (1 walked to the station.)
3 (He cleaned the windows.)
4 (I learnt to ski.)
5 (They repaired the car.)
H?W l ong. . ' t o ..
..................................................you ...............................................
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................

47.4 Read the situations and write sentences with It to o k. . . .

1 I read a book last week. I started reading it on Monday. I finished it three days later.
I t took me d ay s to r t < ^ th p book,
2 We walked home last night. We left at 10 o’clock and we arrived home at 10.20.

3 I learnt to drive last year. I had my first driving lesson in January. I passed my driving test six
months later......................................................................................................................................
4 Mark drove to London yesterday. He left home at 8 o’clock and got to London at 10.

5 Linda began looking for a job a long time ago. She got a job last week.

6 (write a true sentence about yourself)

[ 103]